


Idiots Part VII

by JadeMoon



Series: Idiots [7]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Drama, Dumbasses, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Heartache, Idiots in Love, Multi, Romance, Self Confidence Issues, Smut, missed the signs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 08:17:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19372822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeMoon/pseuds/JadeMoon
Summary: Agent Thirteen isn't new to SHIELD, she's been with them for more than half her life. She's made every effort to NOT make friends because people suck and they stab you in the back the first chance they get. She's been quite successful until she gets stationed at the Avenger's compound. There, things start to unravel for her and she finds herself breaking her own rules. Rules she put in place to protect herself. She's caught off guard by the one and only Captain Rogers and things just spiral from there.They're both idiots. You'll see. Then we may add a third idiot, but Barnes is by far the brightest of the three.





	Idiots Part VII

It’s been several days since Hayley has returned to the Avenger’s compound. She managed to locate her gear that was picked up at the scrubbed mission and had it shipped to her at the compound. She’s managed to avoid running into anyone, choosing to go to the gym and making sure it’s empty before going inside and then staying in her quarters the rest of the time.

She knows her luck will run out eventually. She is expected to operate as part of the team and she can’t do that while hiding in her quarters. 

“Agent Stone,” FRIDAY says interrupting Hayley’s latest _what to do about Steve and Bucky_ internal debate. 

“FRIDAY.”

“Director Fury wants to know if you have that report he asked for.”

“Fuck me!”

“Is that what I should tell him?”

“I will find you and reprogram you to be a drunken sailor with a lisp if you do,” she threatens.

“Is that a no?”

“That is a definite no, FRIDAY. And please let Director Fury know I will have that on his desk in a few hours.”

“Very well. Agent Romanov is on her way to see you.”

“Swell,” Hayley mutters. Her luck is officially gone.

There’s a knock at the door about five minutes later. 

“It’s open,” Hayley yells. Natasha walks in and looks around.

“I had thought with the time you’ve taken off you would have spruced this place up a little.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” Natasha counters. “You can’t hide in here forever, Hayley. I gave you what time I could to get your head straight. Tomorrow I expect you in the training room with me. Just like before. This is a team and you are a part of this team.”

“I am well aware of this,” Hayley says like a scolded child. 

“Hayley, we aren’t your enemies. No one here has anything less than the utmost respect for you and what you can do. Some of us *coughRogersandBarnescough* are much more interested in you. Wanda has been asking about you and do you know how much of a stubborn pain in the ass she can be?”

“I’ve had some experience with that,” Hayley admits, thinking back to when Wanda had dragged her all over Manhattan to go dress shopping. 

“Then you know how much fun that is. I’m giving you the advance notice that tomorrow things go back to normal. It’s time to pull yourself up and focus on where you go from here. You’re good, Hayley. I know. Clint knows. Barnes knows. I can count on one hand the number of people who would have kept as calm as you did in that situation with the wounded former Winter Soldier. And I didn’t know you could speak Russian.”

Hayley grins a bit.

“I study when I’m alone.”

“Or watch movies,” Natasha says with a grin of her own. “I’ve heard the two super soldiers talking about what kind of movies you like.”

Hayley’s heart beats a little faster.

“Tomorrow morning. Just like the last time. Be ready for me to drop your ass on the mat this time,” Natasha says with a playful gleam in her eye. It’s her way of trying to get Hayley to lighten up a little. 

“Hmm,” Hayley hums, “you may be disappointed, Agent Romanov.”

“We’ll see, Agent Stone. Fury wants that report. You better get to work on it if you haven’t already. He tends to get moody if he has to wait.”

Natasha smiles and then leaves Hayley alone. At least she didn’t come in here, guns blazing, screaming at Hayley that she better pull her head out of her ass because she’s got a job to do. So...this went better than Hayley had expected. 

However, the thought of recounting everything that happened between her and Lannister sours the mood and Hayley’s stomach. She’s buried those memories as best she could, dredging them up willingly is going to be a real bitch. 

=========================================================================

Hayley is exhausted. Mentally and physically drained. She has spent the last three hours digging through the depths of buried memories for Fury. Things she was forced to deny, things she tried to forget, things that she had no intention of ever remembering. 

But here those vile memories sit, staring back at her from the monitor. She feels detestable and worthless. Fury will see this and think she’s not worth a shit and cut her loose. They’ll all see it. All of the Avengers. They’ll look at this...this... _filth_...and they’ll turn their backs on her. This time it will be permanent. 

Tears stream down Hayley’s face as she stares at the monitor. Who is she if not this used up piece of trash in this document? Is this still her? Who is she? 

Hayley can’t answer those questions. She doesn’t know. Once she turns this in there will be time enough to find out. Fury will remove her. She’s a contaminant. She’ll just bring the others down. Why the fuck is she even here??

She scrolls up to the FILE option at the top of the screen. She could erase this. She could erase this and just lie and tell Fury what the psych ward people told her happened. No one has to know…

Except that Fury already does know. Somehow, some way the man found out about what happened to Hayley and he’s expecting her to give him her side of the story. He’ll just make her do it over again till he’s satisfied.

She could still delete it. She could still delete it and pack her bag and sneak out. She can pull all her available funds and disappear. She could go someplace, anyplace and try and rebuild her life. 

That’s a pipe dream. This life is all she knows. More importantly she would miss Steve and Bucky. They won’t miss her, but she would most certainly miss them. More tears flow as she thinks of the two men. She’s confused by her feelings. Are they friends? Is there something more there? Are they just leading her on? Is this a sick joke? Is she that fucking stupid to believe either of them would want a broken thing like her? 

Hayley covers her face with her hands and weeps silently. Why is this so fucking hard? Why can’t she be what they trained her to be: Agent Thirteen, an unfeeling, unyielding working machine. No friends, no acquaintances, no anything. 

She pulls herself together with great difficulty, prints out three copies of the horrendously long document she wrote and saves a file to an SD card she keeps on her. Just in case. She takes two copies and drops them off at Fury’s office and the third she puts in Maria’s. 

Her skin is crawling and she feels like she’s dying inside. The common areas all seem to be quiet. Hayley takes a chance and heads to the kitchen area in search of some tea. She finds a box of donuts instead. She gets out a glazed one, sits at the table and stares at the plated confectionary. It doesn’t move or do tricks, it just sits on the plate looking donut-ish. She pushes it in front of her a ways and puts her head down on her arms and closes her eyes. She just needs a minute to clear her head.

===============================================

Bucky has been skulking around the gym for almost two hours trying to think of a way to talk to Hayley. Telling Steve to give her time and actually following his own advice are two very different things. He knows Steve is in his quarters doing more sketches of Hails. He had to go to the store and get more pencils and sketchbooks because he filled the other one up. Steve’s gotten stupidly good at this. Bucky’s only outlet has been the gym and occasionally cooking something he saw on TV. Telling Hails he only makes steak and eggs had been a sort of lie. He can do lots of things. He just doesn’t like to broadcast it. 

Speaking of food, he wonders if Tony left any fucking donuts. Bucky heads to the kitchen and stops dead in his tracks when he sees Hayley asleep at the table, a plated donut in front of her. 

He proceeds quietly and he can see she’s been crying, her lashes are still damp from her tears. Is this because of the shit with he and Steve? Has Steve seen her and not said anything? Is something else upsetting her?

Bucky silently pulls a chair out and sits down next to her. The dark circles under her eyes are enormous. She hasn’t slept since she came back if he had to wager a guess. Sleeping at the table won’t do her any good, either. 

“Hayley,” he says softly as he brushes a lock of hair from her face, “wake up, sweetheart.”

There’s a shaky sigh but nothing else. 

“Hayley,” he whispers. Her eyes slowly open and she jumps when she sees him.

“It’s alright, doll,” he says putting his hand on hers. “It’s okay. You fell asleep at the table.”

She looks around like she’s trying to gage how true that statement is. Her eyes stop on the donut in front of her. 

“I’m sorry--”

“For what?” he asks. She shakes her head and he sees a tear fall from her eyes.

“Hayley, what’s wrong? Talk to me, doll.”

“What are you doing in here?”

“Came to get a donut, found a dish instead,” he says with a playful grin. She blinks at him and he sees the corners of her mouth turn up into a faint smile. 

“Those are some terrible lines, Buck.”

“I got you to smile so they can’t be that bad,” he says. He tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear and cocks his head to the side.

“Steve does that shit, too. Stop it.”

“I’ll kick his ass later for stealing my tricks, doll. For now tell me what’s wrong and what has the hottest dish on the coast so sad.”

She huffs out a sad little laugh and wipes her eyes.

“Oh my god, of all the things I thought you were, a player was not one of them.”

“I am not a player,” he says trying to sound offended. In reality he’s just happy to be able to get her to talk. “I’m smooth. Used to be anyway.”

“Is this the old James Barnes emerging or a hybrid?”

“Not really a hybrid or anything. The old James Barnes is long gone, Hails. I think he died in the forties.”

There’s a sudden overwhelming sadness in those green eyes, far beyond what was there when she first woke up. This isn’t what he wanted. 

“Hey,” he says softly, “don’t worry about me. Steve does enough worrying for everybody in here.”

“He loves you. He thinks the world of you.”

“Yeah. I think the world of that dumb shit, too. He’s all I’ve got,” Bucky tells her, reaching up and rubbing his thumb over her cheekbone, “until I met you.”

“I’m not worth the--”

“Stop right there, Hayley,” he says cutting her off. “I know what that fucking shitbag did to you. I know what you went through. And I know that you’re wrong. You are worth everything, doll. To me. To Steve. And as far as I’m concerned, we're the only two who count because we like you the most,” he says trying to joke and lay on a little more of the old charm. Maybe there is still some of the old him still around. 

A flash of a smile on her lips is her response. 

“You don’t know me, Buck. You don’t know what I am--”

“Hayley,” he whispers, the hurt from her statement coming through in his voice, “You aren’t a what, you’re a who. I know what it’s like, doll. I know where your head is right now. I still deal with this. What HYDRA did to me. I still…” He has to stop for a moment before he loses himself. 

She studies him with those green eyes, so full of sadness and hurt. 

“I’m still trying to figure out who I am and where I belong, Hayley. Just like you. You aren’t alone, sweetheart. I’m right here with you.”

Fresh tears stream from her eyes. He takes her hands and pulls her into his lap. She puts her arms around his neck and buries her face into his shoulder and cries so hard her body is shaking. Bucky holds her tightly. He knows what she’s going through. He knows the loneliness that eats at her. He knows because he deals with it himself. But she doesn’t have to feel alone now. She has him and she has Steve. 

“Me and Steve are always going to be here for you, sweetheart, you hear me? You’re not alone anymore. We’re always going to be here for you.”

===============================================

Steve stares at the sketches he’s done of Hayley that are now scattered over his desk. He’s making a portfolio for her. He wants her to see that she’s adored and that she’s beautiful and wanted and…

“Loved,” he mumbles to himself. The word settles on him and it feels good. It feels _right_. He’s in love with her. And Bucky’s just as far up shit creek as Steve is because anytime someone mentions Hayley’s name Bucky lights up like the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center. 

He looks over the latest sketch he did of her - when she was sitting on the floor eating her sandwich and watching Mythbusters with them. Next to it is the one where she’s looking down at Steve while his head is in her lap, the patient smile on her pretty lips, the warmth in her green eyes, how her hair had flowed over her shoulder…

He’s been fighting with himself the past several days about going to see her. He wants to see her. He wants to hold her, hug her, run his fingers through her hair, kiss her soft lips...run his hands over her bare thighs...knead her breasts...suck on them, kiss them, run his hand between her legs and make her moan for his cock…

He groans loudly, his hand grabbing and pulling at the now constricting fabric of his jeans. He’d give anything to have her touch him right now. Stroke his cock in her soft hands. Maybe she’d be on her knees and she’d open that perfect mouth and goddammit he’d blow his load at the back of her throat if she would just…

He undoes the button and pulls the zipper down on his jeans, freeing his throbbing erection. He palms himself through his boxers a few times before pulling his cock out and fisting the head, gathering up the precum to lube the rest of his shaft with. He strokes himself slowly, thinking of how Hayley’s mouth would feel on his cock, how wet and hot it would be. How she’d use her tongue, if she’d watch him with those beautiful green eyes. It doesn’t take long for him to find his release, and he barely catches the mess in his shirt. 

That’s the third time today he’s done this while fantasizing about Hayley. He’s going to run out of laundry soon. 

He goes and cleans himself up, changing his clothes again, and goes back to trying to put the portfolio together. He sits down and after a few minutes he decides he needs a break. 

“FRIDAY, where is Bucky?”

“In the common area kitchen.”

Steve nods. Bucky’s either eating donuts or cereal. He’s waiting for the day he sees Bucky eating both. If it weren’t for the high metabolic rate of the serum Bucky wouldn’t fit through the goddamn door. 

Steve laughs at the imagery of a very large, very round Bucky stuffing his face full of donuts ala Homer Simpson. He heads down to the common kitchen to see if he can torment his friend about his donut infatuation.

===============================================

Hayley is slowly coming back together. Slowly. She’s sitting on Bucky’s lap, in his arms, her head resting on the metal of his left shoulder, while he holds her and slowly rubs her back. His words still resonate in her heart.

  _“You’re not alone. We’re always going to be here for you.”_

But gods if only that were true. If only she could really believe that. What if he’s telling the truth, though? What if Bucky is being sincere? What if Steve is, too? How will she know? How can she tell? 

“Buck?”

“Steve.”

“Hayley, babydoll...what’s going on?” Steve asks. Hayley feels Steve’s hand on the back of her neck, his fingers working their way into her hair and massaging her head. 

“She’s having a shit day,” Bucky replies for her. His candid remark makes her smile a little. Shit day indeed.

“Oh, babydoll,” Steve whispers sorrowfully. “Do you want to come back upstairs? We can go to my quarters or Bucks or yours?”

“I think Bucky’s had about enough of me today,” she says lifting her head finally. 

“Not even close, doll,” he says with a smile. “Not even close. I am, however, losing feeling in my legs from being in this goddamn chair.”

“Bucky! Goddammit!” she yells as she squirms out of his arms. He’s laughing a little and Steve is rolling his eyes at him. 

“It’s fine, doll. I’ll just make Steve give me a piggyback ride back to wherever we’re going.”

“Like hell I will.”

“You owe me, kid.”

“One time. You did it one time, you shithead,” Steve grumbles. He takes Hayley’s hand and tugs lightly on her till she steps into his embrace. 

“You’re okay, babydoll,” he whispers. “We’re here.”

It’s almost enough to bring her to tears again. 

Bucky stands up and stretches, his chest pushing the fabric of his tank top to the very limits. 

“You want to go to Steve’s again, sweetheart?” he asks as he loops a lock of her hair around his fingers. 

“Sure,” she replies before fully thinking this over. What if this is a bad idea? What if they don’t want her there? Why would they invite her if they didn’t want her? What the fuck is happening? 

“Come on, babydoll,” Steve whispers. He lets her out of his embrace and the three of them head to Steve’s quarters. 

Once inside Hayley feels panic take hold. 

“Hails, what’s wrong?” Bucky asks as soon as he shuts the door. She doesn’t know how to answer. How do you tell the two people you’re the closest to that you’re not worth this and that you should just be left alone and…

Bucky’s fingers are under her chin, lifting her face so she has to look at them both. 

“What’s going on, Hayley? Please, talk to us. Is this about the bullshit I pulled?” Steve asks nervously. 

“No,” she says, shaking her head. She’d nearly forgotten about him closing her out because of what happened or didn’t happen on that mission with Bucky. 

“Hayley, I am sorry. We keep going back and forth on which one of us is the idiot here and I think I’ve proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s me,” Steve persists. She sees Bucky bite his lip trying to hide a smirk. 

“We’re both sorry for what happened, doll.”

“Why are you two being so nice?” She cringes at her words, fearing the repercussions that will ensue now. 

The two men exchange confused glances.

“Because we like you, Hails,” Steve states as if the answer is obvious. 

“No, Steve, that’s not what she’s getting at. What set you off, sweetheart? This shit with Lannister?” Bucky asks. 

Hayley pulls the SD card from her pocket and closes it tightly in her hand. She could show them. They could see what she wrote and then all this pretending to care about her would be over and she can go back to being alone. She can stop trying to believe that these two give a fuck about her when no one else ever has or will. 

“Do you have a laptop, Steve?”

“Yes.”

Her lips twitch. If she gives them this there is no going back. Her heart is _screaming_ for her to stop and to remember what Bucky said just a short while ago. She can’t though. She can’t remember what he said because there’s a good chance she was so upset she dreamt it up. 

“You should look at this. It...it should answer your questions.” 

She opens her hand and exposes the SD card containing her shame. Steve picks it up gingerly. 

“Hails, whatever is on here...it’s not going to change…”

She silences him with a look. She knows better. It _will_ change how they see her. 

“You don’t have to return it,” she says as she walks out of Steve’s quarters.

===============================================

“What the fuck? What just happened?” Steve demands. He’s going after Hayley. This is like a fucking nightmare that just won’t end. 

He’s stopped by Bucky. 

“She gave that to us for a reason, Steve. Whatever is on that SD card triggered this episode with her. She’s ashamed. Don’t you see it?”

“I see it,” Steve growls. “I just don’t understand why. We know what happened with her and Lannister.”

“She doesn’t know that. Or she doesn’t believe it.”

“Or both. Goddammit,” Steve sighs. He hands Bucky the little card. “She expects us to look.”

“I have a feeling she expects us to not bother with her when we’re done,” Bucky says sadly. That hurts. Steve looks at the door and fights back the urge to run to Hayley and hold her till she realizes…

“What happened in the kitchen?” Steve asks. There’s an undercurrent of jealousy he can’t hide. Bucky skews an eyebrow at him. 

“I’m not going to feed into this jealous shit with you again, Steve.”

“I’m not...sweet Christ...I’m not jealous--”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m not. I am, but not like I was. Not like before. I figured if she went to anyone she’d come to me, that’s all.”

“She didn’t come to me, Steve. I found her in the kitchen asleep at the table. She had been crying. I woke her up. I know that look on her face. I know how she feels, better than anyone else here. I had to convince her that I’m still trying to figure out where I belong and who the fuck I am. I told her she’s not alone. She cried so hard she was shaking, Steve. Do you know…”

Bucky stops talking. Steve can see tears in his friend’s eyes as he looks away. The damage these two have suffered is beyond measure. 

Steve puts his hand on Buck’s shoulder and then bear hugs him. 

“I’m sorry, Buck.”

Stony silence. Steve knows Bucky’s trying to quiet himself. The pot calling the kettle black. He can see his own issues in Hayley and he wants to help her, but he can’t accept help in dealing with his own. 

Buck’s arms slowly come around Steve. He hugs Steve for a moment and then pushes away. 

“Mushy shit,” Bucky growls. “Gimme that. Let’s see what has our girl so upset.”

“Our girl,” Steve repeats. Bucky stops what he’s doing and looks at him. 

“Or not,” Bucky mutters. 

“She can’t be ours unless she agrees to it,” Steve says blandly. He’s not even sure how Hayley feels about either of them. 

Bucky doesn’t respond, he just pops the little card into Steve’s laptop and then sits on the couch with it.

“She likes this couch, doesn’t she?” he asks as Steve watches him zip around the screen looking for something. 

“She loves it. It’s a file?” he asks when Bucky opens up what’s on the card. 

“It’s her side of the story,” Bucky says. Steve skims over the first few lines and that is exactly what it is. It’s Hayley’s side of what happened. This is her report for Fury. 

The two men sit in relative silence as they read the document in its entirety. 

When they finish both men are unable to speak. Bucky closes the laptop lid and places it on the coffee table. 

“We should have told her what Clint found. She wouldn’t have...she didn’t need to show us this…”

“Don’t fault her for this, Steve. She’s doing this because she thinks we’ll run away. This is her shame.”

Steve can’t wrap his mind around that.

“She didn’t do anything wrong!”

“I never said she did,” Bucky says, staring blankly in front of him, “but she’s been conditioned to believe that what happened was what she deserved, that she’s to blame, that she’s a problem. You saw the tape. What little of it we could handle.”

“We need to show her that she’s wrong, Buck. We need to show her...we need to show her and tell her how we really feel. Something I should have done a while ago.”

Bucky grunts.

“How’s that going to go over, Steve? Do you realize what polyamory is? It’s a three person relationship. Three people romantically involved with each other. In this case you and I would be involved with her. It’s not just being friends. I want to be as intimate with her as you’ve been - more so - but I can’t tell her that. I can’t tell her because…” he laughs uneasily. Steve knows where this is going and he’s got no one to blame but himself for how Bucky feels.

“Because you think I’m going to flip out again on you both.”

“Yeah.”

“There’s a level of jealousy over her between us both,” Steve says, choosing his words carefully. “I know you care about her as much as I do. I’d rather do this openly and together rather than forcing her to choose between us.”

“How bad will it get if you find out I’m sleeping with her?”

“Next to her or…”

“Both, Steve. Both.”

“I could ask you the same thing, Buck. How pissed off are you going to be if you find out she and I have…”

“Been intimate? Made love? Defiled the furniture?”

“Defiled the furniture,” Steve mutters. 

“I’m not going to lie, Steve. I’d be upset. I want her to want me. To touch me like she does you.”

“She plays with my hair--”

“She holds your head in her lap and soothes you till you go to sleep, Steve,” Bucky snaps. He realizes what he’s done and hangs his head.

“I’m sorry, kid.”

“I used to dream about getting the dames like you did. Getting them to fawn over me the way they did you…”

“Is this my comeuppance? Is that what you’re trying to tell me? That’s not fair--”

“You always tried to get them to pay attention to me,” Steve continues. “Always. Never worked, but you never stopped trying. I won’t slight you with her. I won’t take away your time with her. We’ll get a bigger couch.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Established fact, asshole.”

“What if she only wants you?”

“What if she wants you?” Steve counters. 

“Knowing how you feel about her I would tell her no, but we’d still be friends.”

“Do we even know how she feels about either of us?” Steve asks. The two men look at each other. 

“It won’t matter if she doesn’t think she’s worth the effort. She has to see that she’s wanted and that she’s not going to be thrown away.”

“I’ve been working on something for her,” Steve says getting up. He grabs the nearly completed portfolio and brings it to Bucky. 

“Jesus Christ…” Bucky mutters as he flips through it. “This is amazing.”

His face darkens suddenly. 

“Buck.”

“I don’t have anything like this...I don’t have anything to offer her--”

“She likes food.”

“Everybody likes food,” Bucky grouses. 

“Find out what she likes. We can set up a nice dinner for her. You can cook something out of this world and I’ll give her this. We can move shit around in here,” he says, getting up, “put a table where the desk is. Wanda can get us the stuff to make it--”

“Do it in the courtyard, Steve,” Bucky says with bright eyes. “You said she loves the courtyard. We’ll do it in the courtyard.”

Steve claps his hands together excitedly. 

“She’ll love it. We can have a nice dinner and tell her how we feel.”

===============================================

Hayley is sitting on the floor in the living room of her quarters. She’s too exhausted to move. Her eyes burn from all the tears she shed. Tomorrow she has to suck it up and act like she’s a whole person. She has to be Agent Thirteen or Agent Stone or what the fuck ever. Tomorrow she’ll have to put the mask back on and pretend that she’s just peachy keen. 

Right now that seems like an impossibility. She’s not peachy keen. She’s a fucking wreck. Bucky and Steve are going to read that goddamn confession Fury made her write up and that’s going to be the end of it. 

Why does she care so much? Why should it bother her what those two think of her or what any of the Avengers think of her? It never mattered before. It damn sure shouldn’t matter now. She knows she’s a worthless piece of shit. She’s accepted it. So what if they know it now, too?

The answer just complicates things and is beyond fucked up. Way beyond fucked up. It’s not even something she should entertain as a passing thought.

Her phone rings. 

“Hello?”

“You sound hellish,” Wanda says through the phone, “are you sick? I can make you some soup?”

“I’m just tired. Where are you?”

“I’m with Vis. We’re on our way back. I just wanted to check and see how you were doing. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Don’t feed into it. Don’t feed into the false sense of security and friendship. Don’t do it.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“I still owe you dinner. What’s your favorite meal?”

“Don’t worry--”

“Uh uh. What is your favorite meal?” Wanda demands. Hayley is too drained to argue with the girl. 

“I had a beef tenderloin somewhere along the way that was good.”

“Beef tenderloin,” Wanda repeats. “What did you have with it?”

“I don’t remember.”

“That’s alright. I’ll figure it out. Beef tenderloin. Hmm...alright, listen, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Wanda, I’m alright,” Hayley lies. 

“I’ll catch up with you soon, okay?”

“Sure.”

“Bye.” 

The line thankfully disconnects and Hayley is back to wallowing in her own misery. She’ll think of a way to blow off Wanda later. 

===============================================

“Beef tenderloin,” Wanda says looking around the courtyard, “but she wouldn’t tell me what she had with it. She was just giving me an answer to get me off the phone I think. She sounds bad, guys.”

Bucky gives Steve a worried look. Steve can only return the look. 

“What. Happened. Now.”

Wanda isn’t being very patient with them today. 

“You want the long version or the short version?” Bucky asks. “Steve will give you the short version either way.”

“Thanks, jerk.”

Bucky shrugs. He’s trying to figure out where to put the table so that it’s close to the roses...wait….

“The lilies.”

Steve snaps his fingers and points further down the path. 

“Good idea,” Steve agrees. Wanda groans and follows them. 

“Okay, nevermind, this is nice,” she says looking around. “Guys, look. You can string up fairy lights from the poles here.”

“What the fuck are fairy lights?” Bucky asks. 

“Buck,” Steve groans. 

“He swears around me constantly, Steve. Stop being such a damn prude about it. I’m not ten.”

Bucky bursts out laughing. Wanda finally called Steve out on his shit. 

“Shut up,” Steve snaps. 

“What happened?” Wanda demands. Steve sighs and starts to retell Wanda some of what has happened. Bucky tunes them out and focuses on setting up the table. He wants it so Hayley can smell the lilies and get the full effect. What the fuck are fairy lights? Now he’s intrigued. He pulls his phone from his pocket and after a few frustrating moments he’s online and looking them up. He grins. They’re dainty little Christmas tree lights. Hayley would like those, he thinks. It would add to the atmosphere for them. That’s when he sees a HUGE problem.

“Fuck off!”

“Buck?”

“Bucky, what’s...oh my god!” Wanda gasps. 

There’s a huge hornets nest behind one of the poles. All the movement has disturbed the nasty little fuckers and they’re all starting to swarm towards Bucky, Steve, and Wanda. 

“NOPE!” Wanda yells and runs back towards the building. Bucky grabs the table and he and Steve high tail it out of there, too. Fucking flying fuckfaced cunt bugs…

Safely inside Steve calls Tony and lets him know that they need someone to go napalm the hornets nest. 

“Now what?” Bucky asks. Their plans have been shit on due to flying hellspawn. 

“Do it in your quarters. Just move stuff. I can go pick up some lilies from that flower shop when I go out with Bucky to get the stuff for the meal,” Wanda offers. 

“I didn’t know you were coming with me,” Bucky jokes. Wanda gives him the side eye. 

“Says the other half of the duo trying to woo the same girl. I’m not stupid or blind, you two.”

“We didn’t say you were, Wanda…” Steve says cautiously. 

“But you don’t think I see what the hell is going on here, right?”

Bucky and Steve can only look at each other. What the hell are they supposed to say to that?

“Look,” Wanda says pinching the bridge of her nose, “I knew you had a thing for her even if you refused to admit to it,” she says addressing Steve. “Now Bucky wants in on this...and you two just plan on springing this on her? How do you even approach a topic like this? Hey, how was dinner? We both like you, want to date us both?”

“That’s...not...no?” Steve stammers. Wanda groans. 

“What about you, Charmer?” she asks Bucky. Bucky’s eyes widen. 

“What about me?”

“What are you going to say to her?”

“I have no idea. I haven’t really worked that out yet. Thought I’d just go off the cuff.”

“Are you two sure about this? This isn’t just a passing fancy for one or both of you? I don’t want any of you to get hurt, her especially. I think she’s been through enough shit just based on the absurd amount of shit Steve just told me.”

“No, Wanda. This isn’t a passing fancy. I want to be with her. So does Steve.”

She studies both men intently. 

“Guys, I don’t want to see anyone get hurt. I’m just worried.”

“We’ve got this, Wanda,” Steve assures her. “Not the dinner thing because of hornets or wasps or--”

“Flying hellspawn cunt bugs,” Bucky mutters. Wanda starts to laugh. 

“Those. We’ve got this. I’ll go set this up in my quarters, Buck. I’ll just have to rearrange the furniture.”

“Maybe this is for the best. It won’t just be flying fucktards coming after you guys if you have food out there,” Wanda muses. 

“No more hanging around Buck,” Steve chides. Wanda glares at him. 

“She’s going to put you through a wall,” Bucky warns. 

“Go to the store. I’ll take care of this,” Steve grumbles. 

===============================================

Hayley’s in the shower thinking about going out and getting the biggest steak she can eat and a shit ton of Long Island iced teas. The hangover will be worth it tomorrow if she can numb herself the rest of the night. Besides, steak is fantastic with Long Islands. And Moscow Mules. And just about anything else. Maybe she should start drinking before she goes out to get the buzz going sooner. 

She’s drying off and she hears someone knocking. Lovely. 

“Who’s at the door, FRIDAY?”

“Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes.”

Both of them? At the door...oh god...what fresh hell is she in for now?

Hayley debates on trying to dry off and put on clothes when the knocking comes again. 

“FRIDAY, please let them know I’ll be with them in a moment,” she says hurriedly wrapping the towel around herself. 

“Captain Rogers says it is very important.”

Hayley wants to run and hide. She knows what this is about. Why won’t they just leave her alone. Can’t they just tell FRIDAY to relay the fucking message for her to go away? Or to leave them alone? Or what the fuck ever it is that the two men who stole her heart and are about to break it want?

She opens the door and their jaws drop. 

“H-Hayley,” Steve stammers. 

“Hi, doll. Dinner’s ready.”

Bucky regained his composure pretty quick. Steve is still trying to pull himself together. 

“What?” she asks. 

“Dinner. Bucky made dinner for us,” Steve tells her, finally coming out of his stupor. Hayley is confused.

“I...what? You made dinner? Why?”

“For us, doll. You should maybe put on clothes, though. You’re..uh...you’re making it hard for us to think.”

“Sorry,” she mumbles, feeling overly self conscious and very, very ashamed. She starts backing away. 

“Hails…” Steve says gently. 

“Come over when you’re dressed, doll. Please. We’ll be at Steve’s…”

She can only nod and keep her head down. She’s fighting back tears of shame at forcing them to see her like this. She closes the door and covers her mouth to stifle her sobs. 

===============================================

Bucky and Steve walk back slowly to Steve’s quarters. Steve is miffed at Hayley’s behaviour. Bucky doesn’t seem to be, though.

“She took what you said out of context, didn’t she?” Steve asks. Bucky nods his head slowly. 

“That’s not what I meant,” he says sullenly as they walk into Steve’s quarters. “Not by a long shot. She’s fucking beautiful. She’s...she’s…”

“She’s scared. Like you said earlier she doesn’t see herself the way we see her.”

Bucky rubs his chin roughly. 

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Steve asks. He’s nervous as hell. The two men look at the dining area they set up with Wanda’s help. The fairy lights have been hung, the table has a crisp, white cloth on it and is decorated with a huge bouquet of stargazer lilies. The plates have been set. There are two different kinds of wine chilling on either side of the bouquet. They have candles. Dinner is waiting to be served. Dessert is cooling off in the fridge. Steve’s gift of the portfolio is finally finished. All that’s missing is Hayley. 

“I hope so, Steve. I hope this helps her.”

Steve looks at his watch and then toward the door. He hopes she comes over. It’s about time he finally admits how he feels. 

===============================================

Bucky paces nervously between the kitchen and the newly instituted formal dining area. He checks the tenderloin again and again and again. He makes sure the roasted plums are still just right. He checks on the creme brulee to see how it looks. He wants this to be perfect for Hayley. He wants her to see the effort he’s made with dinner and the effort Steve put into that portfolio so she understands that she is worth it. And also that they both like her and would like her to be their best girl. 

“Buck?”

He jumps at the sound of Steve’s voice. 

“Easy, easy,” Steve says patting him on the back. “How does it look?”

“Good enough to eat,” Bucky jests. 

“Smells amazing, man.”

“Let’s hope she likes it.”

===============================================

Hayley manages to get clothes on through a blur of tears. She’s running over every possible scenario as to why those two would invite her to dinner. None of them are good ones. Her heart hurts so goddamn bad she’s debating on going to medical instead. Maybe she should. Then she can try and convince Banner to tell Fury that she’s not fit for duty and they can release her and Hayley can run far, far away…

“And do what? Run a fucking emu farm?” she mutters. She heads back to the bathroom and does her damndest to make herself somewhat presentable. She pulls her hair back and douses her face in cold water till the puffiness around her eyes starts to fade a little. She still looks like hell, but how is that different from any other day? Oh this is going to hurt so goddamn much.

She walks over to Steve’s quarters and fights the urge to run back to her own quarters and hide. She knocks softly, stupidly hoping they won’t hear her and she can use that as an excuse to hide in her room and not have to deal with whatever is about to happen.

Steve opens the door and smiles warmly. His blue eyes sparkle with mischief. This scares her. She backs up a step. 

“It’s okay, babydoll. Come on, come here,” he says, extending his hand to her. 

“Hails?” she hears Bucky call. She sees him come towards the door, a playful grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. 

“It’s alright, doll. Come here,” he says trying to coax her inside. Steve still has his hand extended and she foolishly takes it. God she’s going to pay for this is spades. 

Steve pulls her inside and then steps out of her way. Hayley’s jaw plummets to the floor. They moved the furniture around and created an open area to dine at. There’s fairy lights strung up above the table. Candles are lit, glasses are filled...and something smells like a million motherfucking dollars. 

“What...what’s this?” 

“Dinner. With us. Bucky cooked. Wanda helped us set it up.”

Hayley’s mind is melting. What the actual fuck?

“You...you cooked? For? For what? I don’t understand what’s going on here. What is this? Please, please, just tell me what you want,” she begs as the tears start falling again. 

“Oh god, baby, no! It’s nothing bad!” Steve promises as he puts his arms around her. 

“It’s just dinner with us, kitten, that’s all. It’s just dinner. You’re okay,” Bucky whispers. He manages to get his arms around her where Steve’s are not and now she’s compressed between the two men as they whisper things to try and calm her down. Hayley is falling the fuck apart. What the hell is this? What’s going on? 

“Listen to me, babydoll. This is just dinner. Buck and I wanted to do something nice for you. That’s all. You don’t have to be scared.”

“Look, kitten, we got you flowers. I made beef tenderloin. We’ve got some nice wine. It’s just dinner, kitten. Nobody’s going to hurt you.”

She doesn’t know what to think right now. 

“Take her to the couch, Steve. I’ll get her some water.”

Hayley feels Bucky slipping away from her and then she’s in Steve’s arms being lifted and carried to the stupidly comfortable couch. 

Steve puts her down and immediately sits next to her, putting his arm around her and massaging the back of her neck. 

Bucky comes back with a bottle of water and sits next to her. He opens it and hands it to her before taking her free hand and holding it in his own. 

“You thought you were being set up, didn’t you?” Bucky asks. There’s sadness in his voice. But it’s true, she did think this. She still does. Sort of.

“Yes.”

“Kitten, we aren’t going to hurt you. I told you in the kitchen that I know what you’re going through. You’re not alone. Neither one of us is going to abandon you--”

“Again,” Steve mutters. “Because I’m a goddamn idiot.”

“The point is, we aren’t doing this as a way to make you hurt or to make you feel bad. Just the opposite.”

“We did this to show you we care about you and that you’re worth our time and effort, babydoll. I have something to show you. Can dinner wait?”

“Another couple of minutes won’t hurt,” Bucky tells him. Hayley watches as Steve gets up and vanishes back toward his bedroom. He comes back a minute later with a portfolio case that he hands to her. 

She is thoroughly confused now.

“What’s this?”

“Open it, Hails,” Bucky encourages her. She does and is astounded at what she sees. Sketches of her from various encounters she’s had with Steve since she first arrived. There’s the one from the gym and one from the night they watched _Prometheus_ for a while in the common sitting room. There’s one of her in the courtyard smelling the roses on the trellis. 

“Who...did these?”

“I did,” Steve says bashfully. 

“These are...they’re beautiful, Steve...I don’t...I mean…” She’s at a loss for words. He made her look beautiful. He made her look whole. He made her look…

“This is how I see you, Hayley. This is how I’ve always seen you. Even when you’re mad at me,” he says as he flips to a page of her looking like she’s going to unleash Hell on Earth. “I did this to show you that I think you’re worth the time and effort, babydoll. Bucky made and elaborate dinner to show you the same.”

“We set this up so you could see that we care about you, Hails. You’re wanted. A lot. By us both,” Bucky tells her, continuing where Steve left off. 

Hayley isn’t sure she’s hearing this right or that she’s not dreaming. She closes the portfolio and sits quietly trying to figure out if this is, in fact, reality.

“Hails?” 

“Doll, say something, please.”

“Did you read what was on that SD card?”

“We did, yes,” Steve says answering for them both. 

“Doesn’t change a fucking thing, Hails. Doesn’t change how we feel about you or how we see you. I told you, we’re here for you, no matter what,” Bucky says firmly. 

“Why are you doing this?” she asks. It’s a struggle to not burst into tears again. To  not sit here and blubber like a fucking baby. 

“To try and prove to you that we like you enough to make an effort like this. Let’s go eat. We can talk after dinner, okay?” Bucky pleads. “I want the pretty dish to enjoy her meal.”

Hayley does a horrible combination of a sob and a laugh. Bucky grins and kisses her fingers. Steve kisses her temple. Hayley is now convinced she’s dead.

They lead her to the immaculately set table. Steve pulls her chair out and Bucky vanishes into the kitchen. 

“You did all of this for me?”

“We did.”

She still can’t grasp why.

“Why?” she stupidly asks. 

Bucky emerges from the kitchen with plates overflowing with food. He puts them down and disappears into the kitchen again. When he comes back he’s got a wooden bowls with little tossed salads in them. 

“Because we like you,” Steve replies. Oh god. She really is dead. Is this Hell? She’s going to have to choose? They’re going to fight? No. It’s a set up. Right? They’re going to laugh at her for thinking she stood a chance with either of them? Find it hysterical that she actually thought they were _both_ interested?

Bucky takes his seat at the round little table. 

“I got two different kinds of wine, doll. One is sweet the other dry. We weren’t sure which you would like,” Bucky says sounding apologetic. 

“What are you two after with me? I’m not...this is beautiful and dinner looks _amazing_ , but…”

“Hayley, we’re not after anything,” Steve tells her. 

“That’s not true,” Bucky says in a soft voice. “Tell her the truth, Steve.”

The panic takes hold and Hayley can’t fight it anymore. She can’t sit here and let them tear her apart. Not again. Not anymore.

“I can’t do this,” she says getting up quickly. “I’m sorry. I...I can’t do this.”

She bolts from Steve’s quarters and rather than running back to her own she just keeps going till she’s outside and even then she continues to run until she can’t run anymore.

Lannister was right. Hayley is just a running joke to everyone she comes across.

===============================================

Bucky and Steve are so dumbfounded by Hayley’s actions that they sit there for a few moments, unable to move. They both regain their composure and chase after her. 

Wanda and Natasha block their paths. Bucky isn’t in the mood for games with either woman and Steve is about to pick them up and move them.

“Stop. Both of you,” Natasha orders. “You’re not chasing after her. If she ran it’s because she’s scared.”

“Wanda, please let us go after her. We can explain and fix this!” Bucky implores. Wanda shakes her head no.

“We can make her understand we won’t hurt her!” Steve adds. Natasha groans and Wanda sighs. Nat pulls out her cell.

“Get up here,” she says and then puts it back. “You need to hear something,” she tells Bucky and Steve. She points back to Steve’s quarters and Bucky and Steve reluctantly turn around and go back with Nat and Wanda. 

“Dinner smells amazing,” Wanda purrs as they walk in. Bucky just shrugs. He doesn’t care. The person he made it for ran from him. 

He sits down on the couch and props his head on his hand. Steve slumps down on the other end of the couch, arms folded over his chest. 

“I have never seen them pout before,” Wanda muses. 

“It’s not pretty is it?” Natasha states. 

“Agent Barton is at the door,” FRIDAY announces. 

Wanda lets him in. Bucky gives Nat a very highly unamused look. 

“Holy shit it smells divine in here!” Clint gasps. “Who did you order from?”

“I cooked,” Bucky states coldly. Clint’s eyes widen in genuine surprise. 

“Damn, Buck! It smells…”

“Like heaven,” Wanda says. He can damn near see the girl salivating. 

“Go eat. What the fuck do I care?” Bucky mutters. 

“Dishes are in the kitchen. Have at it,” Steve adds sullenly. 

“Are you two going to eat?” Natasha asks.

“No,” they answer in unison. 

“Let them go, Nat. I’m going to get some grub before we start this shit show,” Bucky hears Clint say. Wanda sits on the coffee table and pats Bucky’s knee. 

“Don’t be mad, guys,” she says gently. Steve throws his head back into the couch and sighs heavily. Bucky just wants to go to his own quarters and be left the fuck alone. 

Clint and Natasha come back carrying plates for all of them. Steve and Bucky just sit there with their plates in their laps. Bucky has no intention of eating. He’s not hungry. He did this for Hayley and she’s not here. She ran away.

“Oh my god…” Clint moans, “come teach Laura to cook, man.”

Bucky gives him a cold look. 

“Clint, stop,” Wanda warns. 

“No, Clint, start,” Natasha says. Clint puts his plate down and scratches his neck like he’s nervous. 

“You guys did all this to impress Hayley, huh?” he asks. 

“What the hell are we doing here?” Bucky snaps. 

“Buck,” Steve says tiredly. It’s a half-assed warning to stay calm.

“All the shit she’s been through the last thing she needs is for someone to try and woo her. Or some two. She thinks you’re fucking with her, guys. She thinks this is a set up--”

“How the hell do you know?” Steve demands. 

“Steve, stop, listen. Please?” Wanda begs. Steve huffs at them. 

“Because Laura was in an abusive relationship when I met her.”

To Bucky the world seems to have stopped. Clint now has his undivided attention.

“Clint...what?” Steve asks. The earlier anger is gone from his voice. 

“When I met Laura I was supposed to be on a mission. She was running and ran right into me. Her nose was bleeding, her face was bruised, her arm was broken. I saw the guy chasing her. I got her to safety and asshole was... _dealt_ with. I went to check on her after the fact and just kind of stuck around because she’s Laura. I ended up falling for her. Hard. Like I couldn’t think straight and had to have Nat follow me around to make sure I wasn’t falling off of buildings.”

“Sad but true,” Nat concurs. 

“Laura tolerated me at best. For a long time I’d get one or two word answers from her. She was always on guard, afraid to talk openly, only answering when I asked her something outright. This went on for _months_ . All of my jokes, all of my charm and wit _pfft_ didn’t do shit. Months, guys, months. It was almost a year before she started actually talking to me regularly. Just talking in a normal conversation. It took even longer for her to trust me enough to be alone with me. She’d flinch or cringe if I made any sudden movements. There are days she still does. It’s been ten years and even though she knows I will never hurt her there are times she regresses and...yeah. It took time for her to heal. It took more time for her to learn to trust again. It didn’t happen overnight.”

“Hayley’s been through a lot. She has trust issues. She requested Siberia after the fight you two had. She’s used to being alone and she’s even more used to people betraying her,” Natasha tells them. 

“I know you’re intentions are good, that’s why we came over,” Wanda adds, “to try and help you out.”

“You saw some of what they did to her. Trust me when I tell you that the approach you two have with her is off at best. At worst you’re going to push her away and she’ll never open up to anyone again. She needs time and she needs to see she can trust you two. I can’t believe I’m giving relationship advice to you two on one girl. I really can’t believe these goddamn plums, though! So good!”

“Clint, focus,” Wanda says trying not to smile. 

“We get it,” Steve states in a quiet voice. 

“Don’t be mad at her,” Clint continues, “don’t get upset. Be patient. If you really want this as badly as it seems…” he says looking at the dining area they had created. 

“She’s scared and she’s hurt. You want her to like you, earn her trust, be her friend, show her support. Steve was on the right track before he lost his mind,” Natasha says taking a shot at Steve. He glares at her. 

“Seriously, do you understand what we’re trying to convey here?” Clint asks. 

“Yes,” they reply. 

“Please eat,” Wanda says pointing to their still full plates. 

“Eat or I’m telling Fury that the two of you are harassing Hayley,” Natasha threatens. 

It’s an idle threat but it makes them both reluctantly eat. 

They sit and talk a little more, Clint elaborating more on how he worked with Laura to help her get over what happened. Bucky’s concern now is where is Hayley and if she’s safe. 

His other concern: how do they convince her that they mean her no harm.

===============================================

Hayley comes back to the compound much later that night. It’s deathly silent in the halls as she slinks back to her quarters. She’s had time to think and to try and clear her head. She’s made up her mind as to what she’s going to do. 

She climbs into bed to get a few hours of sleep before a new day begins. 

Hayley’s already awake before her alarm goes off. She’s building her resolve, rebuilding her nerves. She’s not going to be this whimpering shit any longer. And if that means that things have to be absolutely formal and professional between Rogers and Barnes, so be it. She can’t get hurt if she doesn’t let them in.

Hayley gets dressed and heads to the training room. Romanov is already there as are a few of the new recruits. The rest are slowly starting to straggle in. 

“Hayley, good morning,” Romanov says with a smile. 

“Good morning, Agent Romanov.”

Romanov’s smile falters, but she nods her head just the same. 

Things go as planned, they run the recruits through maneuvers, show them techniques, and Hayley never breaks out of formal mode. 

“Back at it tomorrow. Some of you have weapons training. You need to get a move on,” Romanov barks at the group. They start to disband and Hayley is about to leave when she sees Rogers walk into the training room. The newest of the recruits linger and gawk at him. He doesn’t seem to notice because he’s headed right for Hayley and Romanov. Shit. Time to suck it.

“Nat. Hails. How are you?”

Natasha shrugs. 

“Well, Sir.”

The smile that was on his face vanishes. 

“How was training?” he asks, his voice quivering just enough for Hayley to hear it. Romanov looks at her, but Hayley refuses to answer. Speak when directly spoken to, those are the rules. 

“I thought it went fine. What did you think, Agent Stone?” Romanov asks. 

“Agreed.”

“Hayley…”

“I think you have weapons training today, Stone,” Romanov says before Rogers can say anything else. 

“Yes, ma’am. Excuse me, Captain Rogers.”

Hayley exits the training room without a second thought or a look back. 

===============================================

“No you don’t,” Natasha says grabbing Steve’s arm and holding him from going after Hayley. 

“Let go, Nat.”

“What are you going to do, Steve?” she asks. Steve looks at her like she’s insane. 

“I’m going to go talk to her,” he replies, keeping his voice low so the still lingering recruits don’t overhear them. 

Natasha shakes her head no. 

“Leave her alone, Steve. This is how she’s dealing with things.”

“By reverting back to this?!” Steve demands. The still loitering recruits stop and stare. He couldn’t give two shits about them being in here right now. 

“Defense mechanisms. We can’t hurt her if she doesn’t let us in.”

“And I’m supposed to just let that go?” Steve argues. 

“Yes. Till she’s comfortable enough to come around to you again, yes, you let her go. You let her work through this. Fury has her scheduled to see a shrink this week to help her get over this, too.”

“We can help her!” Steve growls. Natasha looks at him evenly. 

“She needs to want our help, Steve. You can’t force her to accept our help.”

“Clint said he stuck with Laura and worked with her--”

“Laura isn’t Hayley. Laura didn’t have two grown ass men trying to woo their way into her panties. Just Clint.”

“Is that all you think I want?” Steve asks. He’s hurt that Nat would say this. 

“You and Barnes, yes. What other reason do you have for hounding her relentlessly about going out with you?”

“I love her, Nat.”

Natasha doesn’t look surprised to hear this.

“Then give her the space she needs till she comes around, Steve. You and Barnes need to give her that courtesy. If she comes around again, great. If she doesn’t than this threesome thing you two are after with her was never meant to be.”

Steve looks at the doorway and then hangs his head. 

“Give her time,” Natasha says putting her hand on his shoulder. “Let her come around on her own again.”

===============================================

Bucky is on his way back from the gym when he spots Hayley coming down the hall. Her face is a mask of stone, he can’t read her. He needs to see how she is. 

“Hayley! Hails! Hey, doll,” he says trotting up to her.

“Sergeant Barnes.”

He feels like he’s been stabbed.

“Hayley...there’s no one around, you don’t have to be formal. I wouldn’t care if there were people around, doll.”

Silence. The stone mask doesn’t crack. Her eyes are cold. She’s completely void of any emotion.

“Hayley, I just wanted to see how you’re doing. I just want to know if you’re okay--”

“I’m required to be someplace right now, Sergeant Barnes. Is there something you need me for?”

“No. No, there isn’t,” he says softly. She goes to step around him and he speaks once more.

“Hayley, when you’re ready I’ll be here. I’m not your enemy. You don’t have to be alone.”

He walks away from her, secretly hoping beyond hope that she runs to him and tackles him or pounces on him or calls for him...something, _anything_. But nothing happens. She never says a word and when Bucky looks back over his shoulder she’s gone. 

  



End file.
